Availability must combine machine, tool and setup interval; an equivalent tool requires the technical approval defined by the business.
Index
Scheduling a machine without reserving tooling creates an impossible promise when two orders depend on the same physical resource.
The rule that changes the scope
Availability must combine machine, tool and setup interval; an equivalent tool requires the technical approval defined by the business.
Existing planning may cover machine capacity; a targeted extension can add the scarce resource without replacing the entire schedule.
A reservation can start before the production shift because collecting and preparing the fixture occupies time and staff. It may also finish after machine use when removal and checking are required. Agree those boundaries with the people actually storing the tools. The conflict view must show competing orders and their owners; a generic unavailable message does not help decide which production activity should be rescheduled.
Specify operational deliverables
- Identify each tool through its physical code, location and recorded usability condition.
- Display overlaps between setup, production and removal of the tooling.
- Record authorized substitution with an equivalent tool and retain the decision reason.
Test the exception before acceptance
In a hypothetical scenario, two orders need the same fixture during the same period; the system should expose the conflict before confirming the schedule.
Reference for assessing scope
NN/g: writing task scenarios for usability testing
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Bring two competing orders and the current process for storing and checking out tools.